How to manually update BIOS on Lenovo laptop?

[Russ Smith]

Lenovo has a built in update program called Lenovo vantage, when I use that it says I need to update the BIOS, but everytime I do I get a message saying one of the updates failed to install reboot and try again and that failure is the BIOS. If I go to the website and detect my laptop it gives me an update to try but then strongly recommends I don't do it manually but use Lenovo Advantage as it may fail etc.

With Dell I was always able to just download the bios updates manually and install them one by one but I can't even get Vantage to tell me what the BIOS update number is so I know I'm manually installing the one that keeps failing by Vantage. the date for the one on the site is 2024 so I'm not confident it's actually current?

Edge keeps crashing or hanging, I've updated and repaired Edge. I stopped using Chrome awhile ago because several sites I use regularly don't work with Chrome. I did a SFC repair already so the obvious one now is the BIOS update that I can't seem to do? Any suggestions?

 

[Dan H]

Having seen all of your other technical/computer posts ... pay somebody to do it for you, please.

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[jbjarko]

Having seen all of your other technical/computer posts ... pay somebody do it for you, please.

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I agree with Dan here.

Updating BIOS is one thing that makes even the most ardent PC geek nervous. Not worth screwing around with.

 

[Russ Smith]

Having seen all of your other technical/computer posts ... pay somebody to do it for you, please.

You must be registered for see images attach

Yep that's why I'm hesitant I have enough experience to know that if a BIOS update goes wrong you can't boot the computer

I am googling computer repair sites

 

[Russ Smith]

I agree with Dan here.

Updating BIOS is one thing that makes even the most ardent PC geek nervous. Not worth screwing around with.

Believe it or not I used to do it all the time at work but they were computers that we were setting up for new employees so it wasn't one already in use. Still sketchy but at least if it went bad you weren't taking down a computer someone relied on to do their job.

Lenovo has this built in update program Vantage but it just fails over and over

 

[Covert Rain]

Believe it or not I used to do it all the time at work but they were computers that we were setting up for new employees so it wasn't one already in use. Still sketchy but at least if it went bad you weren't taking down a computer someone relied on to do their job.

Lenovo has this built in update program Vantage but it just fails over and over

It's a known issue.

https://support.lenovo.com/us/en/solutions/ht517407

 

[Russ Smith]

It's a known issue.

https://support.lenovo.com/us/en/solutions/ht517407

Oh cool thanks I'd googled it but I hadn't found that. I found part of my problem was an ad blocker I had was really causing issue with 2 sites, ASFN, and the new ON3 UCLA site I'm on. I kept getting a message to update the BIOS but yeah fails every time.

 

[Covert Rain]

Oh cool thanks I'd googled it but I hadn't found that. I found part of my problem was an ad blocker I had was really causing issue with 2 sites, ASFN, and the new ON3 UCLA site I'm on. I kept getting a message to update the BIOS but yeah fails every time.

It's generally recommended to pause any real time protection when updating BIOS.

 

[Russ Smith]

It's generally recommended to pause any real time protection when updating BIOS.

Yep I tried disabling my antivirus but the update still failed.

Good to know it's a known thing hopefully they will fix it soon

 

[Covert Rain]

Yep I tried disabling my antivirus but the update still failed.

Good to know it's a known thing hopefully they will fix it soon

They recommend that you update the bios manually in their "workaround" section. I think the problem started last March after a Windows Security update. It's been a year. I wouldn't hold my breath. It's also possible the problem will be fixed AFTER you update the Bios once manually so that future updates will work as planned. I have not read though all of that from the link.

 

[Russ Smith]

So talked to 2 local computer shops and then took it in to a third and eventually got the same answer from all 3. Dell has a known issue with updating the BIOS but it's worse than I knew, it's the actual BIOS chip that's "corrupted" and they all 3 told me the same thing, buy another laptop even if you can update the BIOS manually it won't fix your problem. The place I took it in to had 2 other Lenovos in there and both had ignored the suggestion and paid 49 bucks for the diagnostic and got the same conclusion, even manually flashing the BIOS doesn't work because the chip is corrupted.

It CAN be fixed but he said it's expensive and you're better off buying a new laptop. We're going to Philippines in June so I will probably wait until I get back.

So I guess no Lenovo this time probably Dell or HP

 

[Russ Smith]

So this is getting sketchy. I didn't want to buy a new laptop until after the Philippines trip didn't want to expose a brand new laptop to 6 weeks of heat, airplane travel, back and forth on boats etc.

I was offline for nearly a day yesterday I could get the computer booted and into an open browser but I couldn't do anything and eventually it would hang, crash and say your computer needs to restart due to an error. No blue screen like the old days. At one point it went into this endless "starting repair" cycle and kept going off and on so I just let it sit for hours. and then I discovered at midnight last night it now boots and works, so whatever the repair was eventually happened and at least for now has it working.

I think the wifi adapter is crapping out I had to keep disabling it and then enabling it and I am guessing that was one of the repairs it made.

Right now I'm looking at this one to replace it, I am using my card for a ton of stuff while overseas and the points go to my Amazon account so I won't have to pay full price.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0DYNTMMYR/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A2JLD58MVKQKUQ&psc=1